The Horror and Fantasy genres are always a very beautiful and interesting combination because both are sometimes the same as their most of the time about putting ordinary people in extrodinary circumstances beyond their own control and understanding, they also remind us there truly is more to our world than meets the eye.This film is one of my favorate fantasy films but also one of my favorate films of all time. I always loved grimms fairy tales ever since I was five, though they were also one of the scariest as the stories had some monsters and demons as well as dark underlying context within the stories which gave me chills. But despite those things they did teach me some of the most important lessons in life, which is exactly what this film did for me. This is also one of those films with so much subtext that it would take more than one watch to uncover more.The production value of this film is fantastic it is a feast for the eyes, all the effects are practicaly there's no CGI bullcrap. From the transformation sequences of the Wolves which are jaw droping and a sight to behold. It's almost similar to what I'd see in the Cronenburg films as the transformations are focused on the body and are done in different fashions. However I really love the world that is constructed around them which looks a bit similar to the level design in video games "Ghouls and Ghosts" and "Dark Souls"; the world is both dark, fascinating, and dangerous which is true to Brothers Grimm fashion. The place has a very surreal sensibility it really feels like were in the dreams and mind of someone (which is obvious from the beginning), I like how it seems like it's one step in reality but one step away. From some plant life like oversized oddly shaped mushrooms, gigantic trees, well as the giant sized toys, down to the use of the darkness trying to envelope the land.Music is also great, which really fits the nature of this film. It has a really spooky and errie sensabilty which I'll admit sent me chills, especially that score at the end.But of course what really makes this film is the story and it's format. The format of the film was really unique for it's time as it's a story within a story, from the fact at the beginning we see everything taking place in the dreams of Roselyn's mind, down to the characters in her imagination telling tales of their own; man wrap your head around that one. I personally think this is cool because it not just makes the film an anthology by it's nature but sorta gets at the power of storytelling how a story can truly have a life of it's own.Cast is really soild from Angela Lansberry (yeah I saw an episode or two of "Murder She Wrote") whom fits the old granny archetype well but I really love how she narrates the stories she tells, it really has that comforting feel of when our grandparents or parents ever told us stories. But also sort of adds to the darkness of the stories as we hear the confort of her tone go off in places which really sent a icy chill. David Warner one of my favorate actors does well with what he has despite a small role, one moment that stands out was when he takes back a severed hand of a wolf only to discover it was a human hand; the fear on his face is much like ours in that moment but also that scene was a reference to another old werewolf story.Though to me the best one is Sarah Paterson whom is just great as Roseylyn. This actress was one of the first crushes I had when I was a kid, I of course also saw her in that 1987 "Snow White" film an underrated gem in my book but that's another story, so you get how big it was. It suck that afterward this actress didn't get more, let alone become another 80's brat pack star wouldn't that be something. Oh, well anyway she just radiates beauty inside and out, her performance is great Roselyn isn't some stereotypical annoying adolescent but feels almost like a real person which in a way gives her a bit of a relatability/emphasize factor as she's energetic, curious , has budding desire which are the feelings we've felt when we were that age.It's no doubt a coming of age tale and much more as it presents it's themes in not just a honest dark light but mirror. Roselyn is an adolescent which is an interesting time for everyone as it means passage to adulthood but also the passing of childhood; this can be an exciting time for some but for others it's the most terrifying. This I feel gives this subject a human and three dimentional sensabilty because the adulthood world and the assention isn't all wonderful has a filp side of the coin, despite it's wonders it also just like the world around them has it's dangers, but also the sad thought of having to let go of our childhood.I really like the imagry which reflects these themes and sexual overtones from seeing Roselyn looking into a nest and discovering two tiny forses, sort of symbolizing the internal need primal need for procreation. Or even where a pack of wolves are running and we see them running over or away from toys on the ground and broken, that gave me chills because it showed the end of childhood as well as the dark need to corrupt or overcome our innocence.Also in a strange way the film is kinda a Cronenburg Tale, as this film does have some of the bodily effects and horror common in his films. But like in his films deals with the subject of duality. The film really deals with the subject highly, as it is about the duality of the inner beast and dark desires from within and the inner child, dreams and innocence within us. Despite how much we struggle and fight the desires within, it's just no use because there is no real way to win against it, as our inner dark desire burns brighter, the fire of innocence gets reduced to a mere spark. And even if we sudue the interal beast we defy our own nature. Let alone the beast inside us doesn't want and can't be tamed, it's not ment to; as Dr. Malcolm once put it, "Life finds a way, it will do it violently if it has to but it always does."There is a scene that perfectly reflect this as we see an interesting interplay between both Roselyn and The Woodsman/Wolf. On one hand she is somewhat scared but also can't help but exercise her desire which is a hot as the blazing fire in the fireplace. And we also hear the famous lines from the "Red Riding Hood" tale which make perfect sense as she is expressing attraction and desire but a little fear as these are still new feelings for her. Much like any of us at her age, like myself when I started to see girls differently.There's no where to run or hide from the wolves, because the wolf is within the darkest corridors of our soul.Rating: 4 stars

Neil Jordan's The Company Of Wolves is a long lost horror fantasy classic, a eerie, dreamy take on little red riding hood with a cautionary message about the dangers that blossoming young girls are at risk from at the hands of men. In a dark, drafty mansion, a 14 year old girl (Sarah Patterson) tosses and turns amidst a nightmare. In her nocturnal wanderings we see her as a forest dwelling girl who lives deep in the heart of the woods with her family. Surrounding them is shadowy magic, strange creatures, and an ever present pack of pursuing wolves. As you might expect, she is tasked to journey out into the forest to her grandmother's house. There she is beset with the dangers of a wolf who hides in the skin of a man, a metaphor for the way older men pretend to be something they are not to prey on younger girls. Despite its fantasy setting, the film retains a very mature, grounded look at the risks of trusting someone you've just met, and wrestles with the ideas of how to handle educating our daughters on the dangers that young girls have to be aware of, especially in our modern world as well. It's also a gorgeously produced film. Jordan and team lovingly create a realistic yet dreamy, haunted forest atmosphere, with some truly outstanding practical effects that have to be seen to be believed. The gooey, glistening skinless wolf emerging from a man's naked body is definitely hard to forget, and the little birds eggs that produce tiny humanoid babies are phenomenally well done. Jordan, always a genius with merging together his themes with the atmosphere of the film, uses the primal fears and nightmarish ghouls on the fringes of our awareness to evoke a very real existential dread, spurred by both his visual and intellectual aspects of the film. He is a genius in my mind, one of the last of the finest. Sarah Patterson is a graceful wonder in her breakout role, and Angela Lansbury is great as her old granny. Look out for an awesome cameo from Terence Stamp as the man himself, Lucifer. This is my favourite rendition of little red riding hood because it doesn't fit into any conventional zone and strives to bring us something beautiful and different.

I watched "The Company of Wolves" yesterday, only my second viewing in thirty years, and was delighted at how absorbing it remains. Passing the test of time, it is as fresh as ever .The Movie is not quite a Horror film, but inhabits the realm of Fantasy Cinema, a genre which has always shared a porous border with horror."Wolves" weaves an intriguing tapestry of folklore and Freudian psychology as it links the dark, but sensual ,Grimm's fairy tales to adolescent fantasies and sexual anxieties, framed in a narrative which is a story, within a story, within a story, wrapped in a dream. In doing so, it takes us deeper into Hammer's dark woods and bucolic Gothic imagery.Thematically, it strays far from Hammer, but aesthetically, it is firmly rooted in the British Gothic tradition. Not only does it's pastoral setting , secluded village and menacing atmosphere recall the mood of Hammer's best productions, but the cinematography and even the opening titles, are suggestive of Hammer influences.Admittedly, some of the visual effects leave much to be desired to the modern viewer. I am no great fan of CGI, but perhaps the film would have been enhanced ,under Neil Jordan's restrained eye, by SFX that belonged to the 21st Century rather than the era of "An American Werewolf in London" .Having said that, "The Company of Wolves" is an intellectual and visual treat, which will reward repeat viewing . It certainly won't be three decades before I venture into it's enchanted forest once again.

This appropriately moody looking film from co-writer / director Neil Jordan is good entertainment, a combination of horror and fairy tale that plays up the sexual angle in its exploration of the werewolf myth. It's true enough that the film is murky, but that fits the material; Jordan avoids a lot of bright colours and his crew give this an excellent period feel. (This only helps to make the red shawl worn by our heroine to really stand out.) The acting is solid, and overall "The Company of Wolves" benefits from its theme of there being more to "wolves" than meets the eye. Of course, this also ties into the time honoured idea of the beast inside man.The film encompasses several tales, all of them either told by kindly Granny (Angela Lansbury) or her granddaughter Rosaleen (Sarah Patterson), and supposedly all of them are contained within Rosaleens' dreams. They range from a groom (Stephen Rea) having a surprise in store for his new bride (Kathryn Pogson) to a young man receiving some sort of magical potion from a stranger (Terence Stamp, in an uncredited cameo) to a village that traps a wolf whose paw transforms into a human hand.Enhanced by Bryan Loftus's lighting and the music of George Fenton, "The Company of Wolves" is deliberately paced but full of atmosphere; one does feel like they are being transported to another time and place. It's also full of creepy imagery, and Christopher Tucker contributes makeup and transformation effects that may not quite measure up to what Rick Baker and Rob Bottin devised for their respective werewolf classics ("An American Werewolf in London", "The Howling"), but are striking nevertheless. The dialogue created by Angela Carter has a very literate quality. The cast - ever delightful Lansbury, Rea, David Warner, Graham Crowden, Brian Glover, Danielle Dax, Jim Carter - does creditable work, with young Patterson convincingly essaying an essential innocence.This film remains somewhat forgotten today, having come in the wake of those aforementioned werewolf pictures, so for lovers of the sub genre, it should be worth their while to discover it.Seven out of 10.